It’s been a long, hard 7 weeks being a new parent AGAIN! - And it’s certainly not what I expected it was going to be!….With DS2 colicky symptoms/constant fussing and not settling/not seeming happy. I personally feel like DS2 never seems a happy baby. Even if we leave him in his bouncer/on changing mat/in the swing etc for a few minutes so we can communicate and try to play with him, or DS1 and DD try to play with him he just moans a few minutes later, and then sometimes if we pick him up he still moans? Or when he wakes from a nap, he is moaning/crying within a few minutes.
DS2 also only seems to want to contact nap, he will occasionally go down when swaddled in the cot for 2 naps in the morning but it’s not a consistent thing yet although I try this daily…
Our other two children were always such happy babies. I remember DD being very clingy too when she was awake as she was exc breastfed but the difference was she would go down for her naps well during the day in her basket and slept quite well at night also after her feeds… DS1 was a very easy baby, formula fed.
DS2 resists sleeping so much as well which is an issue…and clearly we can see he’s overtired too which doesn’t help the colic, I’m worried he’s not getting enough sleep for his age…
At night time we have to wait till he’s asleep to put him down in his Moses basket or cotbed, during the night he will go down for about either 2 hours before waking again for a feed and change. He usually goes back down after a feed and change most of the time but not always!- Then he ends up co sleeping with us..
If we don’t swaddle him or use the grow bag for naps/bedtime he would immediately wake and cry when put down because of Moro Reflex a few minutes later…
Feeding wise, we switched over to C&G comfort milk after some improvement with coleif colic drops in C&G first milk (expensive)… Initially at first we thought the C&G comfort milk had helped, he was certainly not screaming every second like before as much and not seeming as uncomfortable but now I’m having doubts as to whether it’s actually helping now… As he is now getting frustrated through a feed again sometimes like before and thats with trying both types of teats 1&2! …
He is feeding well however, he feeds on a number 2 teat well and having plenty of wet nappies, pooing once usually every other day, he is not constipated as his stools are soft, I researched and he sounds like he has something called dyschezia? Where they are straining, going red in the face, but the stool is not hard or solid, it’s soft and loose… HV and Doctor have said it’s quite normal for some babies to go for 1 every other day.
DS2 is drinking 4oz 120mls every 2 hours, he is 7 weeks old and won’t stretch out to 3-4 hours, (that’s seems like a lot to me 2 hourly?!) I’ve tried upping to 5oz to see if he’ll have a little more instead so he goes a little longer but he won’t take that much in 1 sitting, but I’m feeling like it’s not enough for him the comfort milk?
We are exhausted!
Our eldest DS1 was a little fussy before on first milk, never seemed satisfied but when we switched to C&G hungry milk he was so much better! Could we try that at all?? GP said they have no issues with me swapping to hungry milk… I feel like we’ve tried everything! I’m just trying everything possible for him!
We don’t have any help either support wise which doesn’t help, it’s just me and DH doing it alone all the time and when DH is at work it’s me on my own… My in laws live abroad, and even though we offered to pay for their flight to come and help me out for a few months they just made up and excuse about why they couldn’t come… and then my parents are always working and then when it comes to the weekend they always seem to be busy doing their own things…. :( Gets me down when our community and hubby’s community back home they have so much help and support for the new mum and baby… I’ve literally had none of that… Only from DH bless him but someone’s got to pay the bills!!!!
We just want DS2 to be happy and settled bless him, it’s not his fault and it’s not ours either but it kills me seeing him so sad… Does anyone have any advice for this at all? Is anyone else dealing/dealt with similar symptoms?
Much appreciated!
A very exhausted Mummy & Daddy!
pS- Rung HV last week and they literally said they couldn’t help at all and had nothing to advise as apparently were doing all the right things already… so unhelpful…
Had 6-8 week checkup with doctor today and pretty much same thing, however she prescribed infant gaviscon to try in case he’s suffering from any reflux…